


Ease My Mind

by orphan_account



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Real spooks or not? Hmmm, Spooks!, lots and lots of fluff honestly it's pretty sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ryan get's freaked out at a location, and they end up leaving in the middle of the night.Shane has rather unorthodox distraction methods.





	Ease My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, this is my first foray into writing for the fandom, yaaay! This is a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me be and it kinda spiraled, lmao.
> 
> I hope it's all okay. I don't write that often, really. And I decided to do something a little different for this one and put it (mostly) in present tense, so hopefully it works out alright.
> 
> I also have to mention that there is one single line in the fic that discuses murder-suicide. It isn't graphic, I don't think, but I wanted to bring it up.
> 
> Title comes from the song by the same name, _Ease My Mind_ by Hayley Kiyoko.

Ryan white knuckles the steering wheel. A seemingly eternal blackness stretches across the places the high beams can’t reach, and his eyes bounce across the darkness. Had the particular setting been different, he might’ve thought it peaceful, beautiful even. Still, tranquil maybe. Instead, the trees on either side of the road are distorted, looming overhead. It’s almost as if the moon and stars themselves has abandoned them as well, and all he wants to do is get back to civilization as quickly as possible- without breaking any laws, he internally adds, eyes flickering down to the speedometer.

Shane is silent in the passenger seat, sprawled in a rather casual manor, but he can tell that he’s awake and alert. Ryan can feel his stare trained onto him, patient, and attentive. It’s one of the many moments that makes him appreciate his friendship more than anything. It gives his shaken state of mind a bit of peace. Even if it might be just to make sure he isn’t about to collapse at the wheel out of fright or something.

The only other noises piercing the night is the slight hum of the rental, and the phone hooked up the the auxiliary. Ryan had absently fiddled with it, hands shaking, needing the distraction as Shane finished placing the rest of their equipment in the trunk. In the end he had set it to shuffle and shoved it into the cup holder, pulling out of the driveway almost as soon as Shane’s had buckled in.

_Girl, ease my mind_   
_Liquify_   
_I need you mine_   
_Can’t fake it_   
_‘Cause you haunt me, baby  
‘Cause you haunt me, baby_

In any other circumstance, Ryan would’ve found the lyrical contents hilarious. Shane lets out a huff of a laugh, probably an attempt to lighten his spirits, but the heavy unease sitting in his stomach only churns.

As far as things go, perhaps it wasn’t quite as bad as the Sallie House, but still. It was pretty up there. The whole vibe of the townhouse had set him on edge from the moment they had stepped through the threshold, the intensity of the feeling ratcheting up as the night progressed.

* * *

_It started with the set lights flickering without warning, equipment acting up, all things easily explainable according to local Science Genius Shane Madej. But goading and ribbing aside, perhaps Shane could sense his unease, or maybe he even felt some himself, as he kept close by. Managing to be equal parts comforting_ and _assholeish. It was one of his many talents, unfortunately._

_Then there was the second story, where Ryan’d swear up and down on a thousand bibles that a figure had passed by the window. Which was, of course, impossible to write off as one of the crew or anything given the second floor didn’t have any balcony or upper walkways. Thankfully unlike the last time at the Sorrel-Weed mansion, Devon said she saw something as well, hopefully adding at least a little validity to his claims._

_And then, the scratching._

_Not long after they had finished their walk through and began getting ready for the night, it had started. An insistent noise, in the master bedroom, where the previous owners were said to haunt the most frequently. The room, where the father had brutally shot his wife and three young children, before turning the weapon to himself. It also happened to be the room that they’d be spending the entire night in. Joyous day._

_Shane had easily dismissed it like usual, denouncing it as nothing more than a wild animal that had somehow gotten in the roof. He had even yelled out insults at the supposed wildlife until the noises stopped. This had placated him, for a while at least._

_But then it was_ there again _, Ryan laying wide awake while Shane snored lightly to his right._

_The noises were much more aggressive than before, like whatever was causing the noise was fighting tooth and nail to escape whatever it’s confines may be. It felt bone deep, prickling at his skin, echoing in his skull. The noises circled him, almost like they were toying with him. He couldn’t even pinpoint the source, because it felt like it was_ everywhere.

_Claustrophobic, he all but wrenched himself from the confines of his sleeping bag. Ribs aching from the weight of his chest. He squeezed his eyes tight, breathing in through the nose, out the mouth. Rinse and repeat. Willing the sounds to go away._

_Heartbeat already accelerated, it’s a wonder he didn’t go into cardiac arrest when a hand settled on his shoulder._

_“You okay, man?” It’s Shane. Of course it’s Shane. Groggy and a bit slurred, but aware._

_“Yeah, totally.” A clear lie, to anyone, with just how high his pitch reached, “sorry for waking you up.”_

_“It’s cool.” He heard fumbling, and Shane cursed lightly. No doubt searching for his phone. Ryan let him, and continued his breathing pattern. He felt shame curl in his gut, because he knew he was overreacting over something as stupid as_ scratching _._

_“Here, look at me,” Shane said, tone gentle. The hand on his shoulder traveled down to grip at his hand, and he gripped back. Anchored to him. He cracked open an eye and squinted a bit at the invading light. Shane indeed had found his phone and turned on the flashlight, the light bouncing off every surface in the room and casting shadows._

_And instead of paying attention to their surroundings, Ryan’s eyes were glued to Shane’s, bright and colorful in the artificial light._

_“Do you wanna go?” Shane asked._

_Suddenly the spell was broken, and Ryan glanced away. All he could think about was the fans, and how disappointing the episode would be if he couldn’t even stay the whole damn night. It was the Sallie House all over, and he had thought he had gotten better since then. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t leave a location again, barring some emergency or something._

_Shane squeezed his hand gently, bring him back down. “You’re in your head too much; do you want to leave?” His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, obviously concerned for him, and Ryan felt something warm unfurl within him._

_“Yeah.”_

_“Okay.”_

* * *

“Are you feeling any better?” Present Shane asks, thankfully breaking him from his thoughts, and he shrugs a shoulder up and down in response.

_No, absolutely not_ , his mind supplies for him, “I’ll be fine.” And by now, he should really know better than to try and lie around Shane. They’ve been friends long enough that he’s infuriatingly perceptive when it comes to things like this. He merely lets out an unconvinced hum, but doesn’t comment any further.

“Did you hear it, too?” Ryan asks, after a pregnant pause, finally breaking the seal on the question that’s been gnawing at him since they left.

“Yeah.” Shane says, without preamble. He doesn’t elaborate, doesn't ramble on about the list of possibilities or make any snarky commentary. It releases some of the tension that’s curled it’s way through his body.

“Okay, good. So I’m not going completely crazy,” he says, mostly for his own benefit.

“Nope, not yet anyways,” Shane supplies.

“Great.”

More silence. Ryan taps his fingers against the steering wheel, trying to shake the rest of the nerves still clinging to him like a sickness. They’re a few miles away by now, but he can still feel that rising fear. His eyes dart across the road, almost as if something might pop out from the thicket to startle him. As if something followed them out of the house.

God, he really hopes that isn’t the case.

“Pull over.”

The sudden command takes Ryan completely off guard, and he frowns, gaze flickering over to his friend. His face gives away nothing, of course.

“What?”

“Pull over, man.” He doesn’t elaborate any further than that. With a bit of hesitation Ryan complies, flicking on the blinker even though they haven’t seen a single car on the road since they left the house.

He puts the car in park and goes to unbuckle himself when Shane does the same, under the impression that he wants to take over driving for him or something. Which he wouldn’t actually mind, come to think of it. It’d be a great chance to rest his fried mind and maybe even get a bit of sleep, provided he doesn’t get any nightmares.

So, he’s admittedly taken aback when he twists around to his original position and Shane kisses him. He’s stretched over the middle console, one of his hands slip to press against Ryan’s neck. His lips are warm, in contrast to his skin, chilled by the car’s air conditioning. And Ryan, well… he isn’t doing much of anything.

The kiss is over shortly after it begins, really, and Shane slumps back into his seat, pointedly avoiding his owlish gaze.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“What the hell was that about????” Ryan’s pretty sure his voice couldn’t climb any higher.

“I don’t know, I thought it might, help maybe?” Shane says, sounding unsure himself, and that just absolutely boggles Ryan’s mind.

"You kissed me to distract me." He says, not exactly a question but also not exactly accusatory, either. He's still a bit hazy, trying to process the last couple of minutes in his mind.  
  
"Yeah," Shane says. He opens his mouth again to continue, but closes it, seemingly unsure. He's carefully formulating the words in his head, like he has done so many times during episodes. And, even though he’s highkey freaking out, Shane's been so patient with him throughout the entire night. Now it’ Ryan's turn to be, so he waits. Heart in his throat, pulse racing. The turn signal is still on, clicking like a metronome, and he absentmindedly reaches over the flick it off.  
  
"I also did it because I wanted to," Shane finally adds, after what feels like an eternity, words soft. He’s staring out the windshield, looking at the high beams cutting through the night, and Ryan’s throat goes dry at the revelation. He hadn’t actually thought that Shane would reciprocate his feelings, and the declaration makes him feel light headed.

“Really?” He croaks out, tone somewhere between hopeful and awe.

“Yeah.”

A beat, “since when?” He isn’t entirely sure when his own feelings for his tall counterpart had begun to crop up. It’d been a slow burn, something he hadn’t even noticed until Shane was laughing at one of his jokes, and he had wanted to lean up and kiss his laugh lines.

Shane thinks about it for a moment, “sometime around London, I think? I don’t know, hell, maybe even before then.”

Ryan’s heart positively _flutters_. Shane still isn’t looking at him, can’t see the delighted smile that’s lit up his face, and he knows he has to do something before he closes off from him completely.

“Kiss me again,” he blurts out, before he can think better of it, and Shane’s eyes finally snap to meet his own.

There’s a tense moment where nothing happens, and then they’re meeting in the middle. The console’s digging deep into his pelvis, but he can’t bring himself to care, not when Shane’s hand is carding through his hair and his tongue is in his mouth. He grips onto the front of Shane’s shirt and pulls him closer, if possible. Sighing into the kiss. Crowding into his space, practically melting against him.

They don’t break apart right away when they pause for a breath, and Shane knocks their foreheads together.

“You all good now?”

“Yeah, I would say so. Consider myself thoroughly distracted.” Shane laughs at that, breath fanning his face. Ryan’s side starts to ache at the angle they’re in and they finally, reluctantly, pull apart.

He leans back against the driver side door, heart racing, but for a different reason this time. He runs his tongue along his swollen lips, marveling in the fact that he had just kissed Shane Madej. Made out with him, to be correct.

“Do you still want me to drive, or?” Shane asks.

Ryan shakes his head, partially to shake himself out of his stupor, and adjusts himself properly back into his seat. “Nah, I’m good now. Thanks.”

Shane buckles in and sends him back one of his dazzling smiles, the kind that’s almost radiant in nature. And Ryan grins back, townhouse forgotten, as he pulls back onto the road. Overhead, the moon breaks through the clouds.

_Haunt me to my grave_   
_Don’t you ever fade away_   
_Seeing every delusion_   
_I don’t want to face_   
_You keep me up  
You keep me up at night_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read my fic, I hope it was okay! Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated, if you wanna.
> 
> Come say hi! https://clarabellestevens.tumblr.com/


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